Technical Assistance for Supporting Civil Society Through Social Entrepreneurship in Türkiye

The grant opportunity is a tender titled "Technical Assistance for Supporting Civil Society Through Social Entrepreneurship in Türkiye," identified as EC-NEAR/ANK/2024/EA-RP/0194. This tender focuses on enhancing the sustainability, financial viability, and social impact of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and non-state actors dedicated to social needs-driven development within Türkiye. The estimated budget for the project is €2 million, intended for a duration of 36 months.

Eligible applicants for the tender include various companies or organizations capable of providing technical assistance services, such as consultancies, NGOs, or development agencies, with no specific restrictions stated. While it is suggested that single entities can apply, the option for consortium participation is also possible as indicated in tender guidelines.

The geographical focus is Türkiye, falling under the EU's Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPARD) program, which primarily targets candidate countries preparing for EU membership. The project ultimately seeks to advance civil society through social entrepreneurship initiatives.

Key activities outlined in the tender include organizing training sessions and workshops on social entrepreneurship, facilitating partnerships between social enterprises and CSOs, conducting awareness-raising campaigns, offering consultancy to development agencies, and preparing social impact analysis reports along with relevant policy documents.

The tender utilizes a restricted procedure for applications, meaning there are multiple stages to the selection process, and submissions must be sent non-electronically. The deadline for receipt of participation requests is January 24, 2025, at 17:00 Asia/Istanbul time. The selection will primarily focus on the suitability of applicants in terms of their professional activity, economic and financial standing, and technical proficiency, adhering to specific criteria listed in procurement documents.

The nature of support provided through this tender is monetary, and co-funding is not mentioned as a requirement. The computing systems used for submissions support multiple EU languages and ensure document security through encryption. Interested participants must register for a Participant Identification Code (PIC), which is necessary for participation in this tender process. Overall, the project represents a significant effort to bolster the capacity of civil society in Türkiye through strategically focused assistance in social entrepreneurship initiatives.

The opportunity is a call for tenders for "Technical Assistance for Supporting Civil Society Through Social Entrepreneurship in Türkiye" with procedure identifier EC-NEAR/ANK/2024/EA-RP/0194. It is an open for submission, non-electronic, restricted procedure. The overall objective of the project is to enhance the sustainability, financial viability, and social impact of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and non-state actors supporting social needs-driven development.

The activities within the scope of the project include:
i) Organization of trainings and workshops on social entrepreneurship.
ii) Facilitating partnerships between social enterprises and CSOs via networking events and establishing a consultation/coordination platform.
iii) Organization of awareness raising activities.
iv) Providing consultancy to selected development agencies.
v) Preparation of Pilot Social Impact Analysis Reports and development of an Overall Framework on Impact Analysis/Measurement.
vi) Conducting technical studies on social entrepreneurship, such as needs analysis, study visits, screening legislation, synthesis report for policy development, and a Regulatory Impact Assessment.
vii) Preparation of a Policy Paper for Social Entrepreneurship.

The estimated total value of the contract is 2,000,000 EUR. The TED publication date is 05/12/2024. The lead contracting authority is the Central Finance and Contracts Unit (CFCU). The main classification (CPV) code is 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services. The nature of the contract is for services, with a maximum contract duration of 36 months. The award method is based on the best price-quality ratio. There is no framework agreement.

The selection criteria include:
Suitability to pursue the professional activity (consult the procurement documents).
Economic and financial standing (consult the procurement documents).
Technical and professional ability (consult the procurement documents).

The place of delivery or performance is Turkey (20001026). The program is the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (42921320). The deadline for receipt of requests to participate is 24/01/2025 at 17:00 Asia/Istanbul time.

The available documents include:
ENa5f additional information contract notice eForms en-1Invitation to submit a request to participate, published on 05/12/2024, Version 1.
ENClarifications No.1 to Contract NoticeInvitation to submit a request to participate, published on 30/12/2024, Version 1.
ENClarifications No.2 to Contract NoticeInvitation to submit a request to participate, published on 14/01/2025, Version 1.
ENClarifications No.1 to Contract Notice-3Invitation to submit a request to participate, published on 30/12/2024, Version 1.
ENClarifications No.1 to Contract Notice-finalInvitation to submit a request to participate, published on 30/12/2024, Version 1.

Submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given in the tender documents and the submission method is non-electronic.

Regarding the eSubmission system, it supports the latest versions of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. The system is multilingual and supports all 24 official EU languages. The character set encoding is UTF-8. The system encrypts all uploaded documents using an asymmetric key. The maximum file size for attachments is 50 MB, and the maximum number of documents allowed per tender is 200. It is mandatory to register for a PIC (Participant Identification Code) to participate. A PIC is unique and its validity is not limited in time. Submissions in draft status can be edited, viewed, and deleted until the deadline.

This call for tenders focuses on providing technical assistance to support civil society and social entrepreneurship in Turkey. The European Commission, through the Central Finance and Contracts Unit (CFCU), seeks a contractor to implement activities aimed at strengthening CSOs and non-state actors involved in social needs-driven development. This involves organizing training, facilitating partnerships, raising awareness, providing consultancy, conducting impact analysis, performing technical studies, and preparing policy papers related to social entrepreneurship. The project aims to enhance the sustainability and impact of social enterprises and CSOs in Turkey, contributing to the country's pre-accession efforts. Interested parties must submit their requests to participate non-electronically, adhering to the specified deadline and guidelines provided in the tender documents. A PIC code is mandatory for participation.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, based on the description, the tender is aimed at enhancing the sustainability, financial viability, and social impact of CSOs and non-state actors. Therefore, eligible applicants are likely to include Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other non-state actors. The selection criteria mention "Suitability to pursue the professional activity," "Economic and financial standing," and "Technical and professional ability," suggesting that the applicants should be organizations with the capacity to deliver the services required.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is procurement, specifically a service contract. The "Nature of the contract" is explicitly stated as "services." The tender is for "Technical Assistance for Supporting Civil Society Through Social Entrepreneurship in Türkiye," indicating that the selected applicant will provide services.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, the FAQ section mentions that "The Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium)." This suggests that both single applicants and consortia are eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The place of delivery or performance is explicitly stated as "Turkey." The project falls under the "Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance," which further indicates that the primary focus is on Turkey. Therefore, the geographic eligibility is primarily for organizations that can operate and deliver services in Turkey.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: Civil Society, Social Entrepreneurship, and Social Needs-Driven Development. The description mentions activities such as organizing trainings and workshops on social entrepreneurship, facilitating partnerships between social enterprises and CSOs, awareness raising activities, providing consultancy to development agencies, preparing social impact analysis reports, conducting technical studies on social entrepreneurship, and preparing policy papers for social entrepreneurship.

Mentioned Countries: Turkey is explicitly mentioned as the place of delivery or performance.

Project Stage: The project stage appears to be focused on development and implementation. The activities described involve providing technical assistance, conducting studies, organizing events, and developing frameworks and policy papers. This suggests that the project is beyond the initial idea or research phase and is geared towards practical implementation and support.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the contract is 2,000,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is a call for tenders, specifically a "Restricted procedure." The submission method is "Non Electronic." The call is "Open For Submission."

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive non-monetary services through this opportunity. The contract is for "services," specifically technical assistance. The selected applicant will provide expertise, training, consultancy, and other support services to CSOs and development agencies.

Application Stages: The procedure type is "Restricted procedure," which typically involves at least two stages: a first stage where candidates submit a request to participate based on selection criteria, and a second stage where selected candidates are invited to submit a full tender. Therefore, there are at least 2 stages.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

This is a call for tenders for "Technical Assistance for Supporting Civil Society Through Social Entrepreneurship in Türkiye," with a procedure identifier EC-NEAR/ANK/2024/EA-RP/0194. The estimated total value of the contract is 2,000,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 36 months. The lead contracting authority is the Central Finance and Contracts Unit (CFCU). The overall objective is to enhance the sustainability, financial viability, and social impact of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and non-state actors supporting social needs-driven development in Turkey.

The project activities include:
1. Organization of trainings and workshops on social entrepreneurship.
2. Facilitating partnerships between social enterprises and CSOs via networking events and establishing a consultation/coordination platform.
3. Organization of awareness raising activities.
4. Providing consultancy to selected development agencies.
5. Preparation of Pilot Social Impact Analysis Reports and development of Overall Framework on Impact Analysis/Measurement.
6. Conducting technical studies on social entrepreneurship (such as needs analysis, study visits, screening legislation, synthesis report for policy development and a Regulatory Impact Assessment).
7. Preparation of Policy Paper for Social Entrepreneurship.

The procedure type is a restricted procedure, and submissions must be sent exclusively at the address for submission given in the tender documents, using a non-electronic method. The TED publication date was 05/12/2024, and the deadline for receipt of requests to participate is 24/01/2025 at 17:00 Asia/Istanbul time.

The selection criteria include:
1. Suitability to pursue the professional activity (consult procurement documents).
2. Economic and financial standing (consult procurement documents).
3. Technical and professional ability (consult procurement documents).

The program falls under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance. The system supports 24 official EU languages and uses UTF-8 character set encoding. The eSubmission system encrypts all uploaded documents. The maximum number of documents allowed per tender is 200, and the maximum file size is 50 MB. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation, whether as a sole candidate or as part of a consortium.